The Orphanage : A horror story with Peter Pan
Tonight I got the chance to view Guillermo del Toro's latest film.
[Really Long Link here for Guillermo del Toro's Biography[B]
The result is a beautiful horror film of Peter Pan gone wrong. As with his Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro combines fear and darkness with childhood and innocence and it's these overlapping themes which causes the overlying tension of the piece.
The movie starts in the past, where we see children play a game of " 1, 2, 3 wall" closing their eyes and turning around as the children behind them quietly approaches, inching closer and closer until they finally touch the boy behind them. It is a view of the film, which is essentially a " child's game"
to find the future.
Cut to present day where Laura and her husband move into the once occupied orpahange with their small son Samuel. ( An incredibly small and cherubic child). The mansion is large with hidden hallways, and a beautiful walk to the beach with a small dark cave to it.
However the house is incredibly noisy and spacious, and creeps Laura out. The space itself is reminscent of " The Others "
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As with that film, Samuel begins to talk to " an invisible friend". Although this initially worries the couple they believe that this is merely a reflection of his loneliness. Laura takes Samuel on a trip to the beach and they find a cave where she catches her son whispering to no one there and they invite the child to the house.
An old woman mysteriously visits the house, claiming to be a social worker for Samuel. We learn that he is adopted and HIV positive. Laura immediatly suspects the strange woman and quickly sends her away only to find her scurrying about in the backyard shed.
Samuel becomes increasingly strange and more distanced and keeps telling his mother that he is going to die. He also leads his mother to a treasure hunt which leads to a series of clues if found correctly a child " you can get your wish".
The time arrives when the new orphans come to visit and Laura asks her son to come join them for a masquerade. However Samuel wants to show her " the house of Tomas", a boy who wears a scarecrow mask. Laura refuses and they have a heavy argument and she leaves Samuel to tend to her guests. This is the last time she sees Samuel.
Samuel vanishes from sight and she is unable to find him. She becomes increasingly convinced that the ghost children have taken her child and she must find a way to get him back. Nine months later she is still unsuccessful. However , she quickly uncovers the truth through conquering her fear of death leading to some painful discoveries.
The story is similar to Pan's labyrinth told from an adult motherly perspective. And as with this film ithe ending is twofold, one filled with darkness and the other more hopeful and fantastical alternate ending.
The cinematography is beautiful and plays with the use of colors to give us a view of the contrasting worlds. We see only glimpses of the supernatural, small tastings to it given to us only by Laura's perspective. Because of this one person point of view we are equally deceived to what is really the truth of the film
It is truly a great film which gives us an idea of the bonds which can last foerever and transport us to another world.
[COLOR=Maroon]click for more information go here
[Really Long Link here for Guillermo del Toro's Biography[B]
The result is a beautiful horror film of Peter Pan gone wrong. As with his Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro combines fear and darkness with childhood and innocence and it's these overlapping themes which causes the overlying tension of the piece.
The movie starts in the past, where we see children play a game of " 1, 2, 3 wall" closing their eyes and turning around as the children behind them quietly approaches, inching closer and closer until they finally touch the boy behind them. It is a view of the film, which is essentially a " child's game"
to find the future.
Cut to present day where Laura and her husband move into the once occupied orpahange with their small son Samuel. ( An incredibly small and cherubic child). The mansion is large with hidden hallways, and a beautiful walk to the beach with a small dark cave to it.
However the house is incredibly noisy and spacious, and creeps Laura out. The space itself is reminscent of " The Others "
An old woman mysteriously visits the house, claiming to be a social worker for Samuel. We learn that he is adopted and HIV positive. Laura immediatly suspects the strange woman and quickly sends her away only to find her scurrying about in the backyard shed.
Samuel becomes increasingly strange and more distanced and keeps telling his mother that he is going to die. He also leads his mother to a treasure hunt which leads to a series of clues if found correctly a child " you can get your wish".
The time arrives when the new orphans come to visit and Laura asks her son to come join them for a masquerade. However Samuel wants to show her " the house of Tomas", a boy who wears a scarecrow mask. Laura refuses and they have a heavy argument and she leaves Samuel to tend to her guests. This is the last time she sees Samuel.
Samuel vanishes from sight and she is unable to find him. She becomes increasingly convinced that the ghost children have taken her child and she must find a way to get him back. Nine months later she is still unsuccessful. However , she quickly uncovers the truth through conquering her fear of death leading to some painful discoveries.
The story is similar to Pan's labyrinth told from an adult motherly perspective. And as with this film ithe ending is twofold, one filled with darkness and the other more hopeful and fantastical alternate ending.
The cinematography is beautiful and plays with the use of colors to give us a view of the contrasting worlds. We see only glimpses of the supernatural, small tastings to it given to us only by Laura's perspective. Because of this one person point of view we are equally deceived to what is really the truth of the film
It is truly a great film which gives us an idea of the bonds which can last foerever and transport us to another world.
[COLOR=Maroon]click for more information go here
